Soccer playing time calculator
Tell it how many players came, how many play at once and how long the game is. It gives you a substitution plan in which every player gets the same share of the game, to within one change.
Soccer is called football in most of the world. These tools are free, with no account and no ads, from Futbol Island, a football learning game for kids aged 7 to 12.
Names stay on your device. Nothing you type is sent to Futbol Island or stored on a server.
Your substitution plan
11 players share 7 places over 50 minutes. Every player is on for 30 to 35 minutes. 4 sit out in each block of about 5 minutes.
| Time | Goalkeeper | On the field | Sitting out |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st half, 0–5 min | Player 1 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 10 | Player 2, Player 8, Player 9, Player 11 |
| 1st half, 5–10 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7 |
| 1st half, 10–15 min | Player 1 | Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 10, Player 11 |
| 1st half, 15–20 min | Player 1 | Player 2, Player 3, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7 |
| 1st half, 20–25 min | Player 1 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7, Player 11 | Player 2, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10 |
| 2nd half, 0–5 min | Player 2 | Player 4, Player 7, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 5, Player 6 |
| 2nd half, 5–10 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 6, Player 7 | Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 |
| 2nd half, 10–15 min | Player 2 | Player 5, Player 6, Player 8, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 4, Player 7 |
| 2nd half, 15–20 min | Player 2 | Player 1, Player 3, Player 4, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8 | Player 5, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 |
| 2nd half, 20–25 min | Player 2 | Player 3, Player 4, Player 5, Player 9, Player 10, Player 11 | Player 1, Player 6, Player 7, Player 8 |
Minutes for each player
- Player 1: 35 min
- Player 2: 35 min
- Player 3: 35 min
- Player 4: 35 min
- Player 5: 30 min
- Player 6: 30 min
- Player 7: 30 min
- Player 8: 30 min
- Player 9: 30 min
- Player 10: 30 min
- Player 11: 30 min
Made with futbolisland.app. Change at the next stoppage your league allows; the times are targets.
Why plan the changes
Sharing minutes fairly in your head, with a game going on in front of you, is hard. Nine children, seven places, two halves: who has sat out twice? This planner does the arithmetic before the match, so on the side line you only read the next line of the table.
It works for any game: choose 7v7, 9v9, 11v11 or futsal, or type your own numbers for a tournament with short games.
Why equal playing time matters at these ages
Children learn the game by playing it. A ten-year-old on the bench is not learning to receive a pass under pressure, and nobody can tell at that age who will be the best player at sixteen: children grow and learn at very different speeds.
US youth soccer moved to small-sided games (7v7, then 9v9) so that every child touches the ball more often. Sharing the minutes fairly follows the same idea: more children, more touches, more football learned. Many recreational leagues also set a minimum share of the game for every player, so check your league’s rules.
A plan is a starting point. If a child is hurt, upset or simply flying, change it: the aim is a fair share over the season, not a perfect table every week.
Typical US youth game lengths
| Game | Players on the field | Game length | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7v7 (U9 to U10) | 7 | 2 halves of 25 min | 50 min |
| 9v9 (U11 to U12) | 9 | 2 halves of 30 min | 60 min |
| 11v11 (U13 to U14) | 11 | 2 halves of 35 min | 70 min |
| 11v11 (U15 to U16) | 11 | 2 halves of 40 min | 80 min |
| 11v11 (U17 to U19) | 11 | 2 halves of 45 min | 90 min |
Typical US youth standards for the 2026-27 season, from the Futbol Island age group chart (sources: U.S. Soccer and US Youth Soccer); your league may differ. Checked on November 10, 2026.
How the plan is made
- Each period is cut into equal blocks, one for every change. A 25-minute half with changes every 5 minutes has five blocks.
- Every player gets the same number of blocks. When that does not divide evenly, some get one block more, never two.
- With one goalkeeper for the whole game, nobody sits out two blocks in a row while there are enough places to avoid it. With a goalkeeper who changes, the plan keeps such double waits to the few it cannot trade away.
- A rotating goalkeeper stays in goal for a whole period where that is a fair share, and for a shorter spell in a very large squad.
- The same numbers always give the same plan. Reorder the names to change who starts.
Questions about playing time
How does the calculator keep playing time equal?
It cuts the game into equal blocks, one for each change, and gives every player the same number of blocks. When the numbers do not divide evenly, some players get one block more than others, never two.
What if a player does not turn up?
Change the number of players and the plan is made again at once. It takes a few seconds on a phone at the field.
Should the goalkeeper rotate too?
With young players, yes if you can: it lets every child try the position and keeps the minutes equal. Choose “a new goalkeeper each period” and the keeper changes at the breaks. If one child stays in goal, they play the whole game and the others share the rest.
Are the names I type saved anywhere?
Only in your own browser. Nothing is sent to a server. Names are optional: the plan works with “Player 1, Player 2” as well.
Rules, charts and more tools
- Substitutions and game length by ageHow long games last and how changes work
- Soccer field size by ageField, goal and game length for each age group
- Soccer age groups explainedU6 to U19 and which game each one plays
- Soccer lineup builderPut the starters on a field diagram
- 7v7 soccer substitution rotationEqual playing time for a 7v7 squad of any size
- 9v9 soccer substitution rotationEqual playing time for a 9v9 squad of any size
- Blank soccer field diagrams31 printable sheets: blank fields, formation cheat sheets and a positions chart
Futbol Island is a free football (soccer) learning game for kids aged 7 to 12. Every idea on this page is taught on a pitch with moving players, then checked with a quick quiz.